Storm of Emotions
by animalcrazyperson
Summary: Set after events of Kung Fu Panda 2. Tigress is more able to show emotions, yet she is still unable to realize that she is in love with Po. Will some outside help help her to see this - and to tell him? A TiPo fanfic. Po x tigress.
1. A New Master

The sun was lowering in the sky over the Valley of Peace. The villagers, going about their normal business, innocently made way for a delicate figure surrounded by a shimmering silver-blue cloak. This figure walked carefully through the village, observing everything it saw. Eventually it came to the bottom of the thousand steps of the Jade Palace. As it began to climb the obstacle before it, the figure smiled gently: "Something is coming, masters of the Jade Palace. And it will change your lives forever."

"Come here, everyone," Master Shifu ordered. "I have someone important whom I would like you to meet."

Po and the five immediately stopped their training and lined up in front of him.

"Thank you. The person I would like you to meet is called Storm."

"Good morning everyone," the cloaked figure purred. "It is an honour to meet you."

The figure took down her silver hood to reveal searching blue eyes and the sleek coat of a snow leopard.

"Storm is a master, as you are," Shifu continued. "But of a different kind. Storm is a master of the mind."

The warriors bowed in respect. "Master Storm."

"Master Storm has made a long journey," Shifu informed. "I have offered her a place to stay here at the Jade Palace for a time, which she has accepted.

"It was very kind of you, Master Shifu," Storm thanked. "I will try to interfere with your routine as little as possible."

"Hey, it's no problem," Po said easily, going forward with his usual open friendliness. "Welcome to the Jade Palace, Master Storm. I'm the Dragon Warrior, but please just call me Po. Would you like me to show you around?"

"Yes thank you, Po," Storm smiled.

As they walked away, Tigress turned to Monkey. "She seems a little strange, don't you think?"

"What do you mean? Don't you trust her?" Monkey asked.

"It's not that exactly... I can't really describe it," Tigress replied as she walked away lost in thought.

Tigress' radar had picked up on something. And she really wouldn't have trusted her if had she heard Storm's earlier conversation.

"You are a master of the mind?" Shifu inquired. "Then you must stay at the Jade Palace."

"Thank you Master, you are very kind," Storm accepted gratefully. "But there is one thing you should know. I am not a master of the mind as you would think of it. I am a master of emotions."

"Emotions?" Shifu pondered. "I have never heard of this before, yet emotions can be among the most difficult of things to master. Very well, the invitation is still open."

"Thank you," the leopard replied softly. "And perhaps, if you do not think this intrusive and inappropriate, I could observe some of your students. It would help me a great deal. But," she added. "I would deeply appreciate it if you said nothing about me being a master of emotions. A master of the mind only."

"We shall see," Shifu answered. "Let us first see how you settle in here."

Storm nodded silently and picked up her small bag of luggage, ready to meet the warriors.


	2. Reflection

"Hang on a minute, I'll just take some stuff out," Po said as he dashed into the room. He returned with an armful of dusty weapons that had long been forgotten, and put them into a different room.

"I'm sorry it's a little dusty," he apologised. "But I hope you'll like it. Me and the five sleep in the barracks too."

"It's lovely Po, thank you," Storm replied as she walked into the bare room.

"Great! I'll just get you some sheets and stuff," Po enthused as he raced off.

Storm padded towards the bed and sat down. She pulled open her bag as she started to unpack.

"Here you go," Po said, setting down the sheets. "Do you..."

"Po?" Amber eyes appeared round the side of the door.

"Tigress! Is everything OK?" Po asked, a little startled.

"Master Shifu wanted to see you. Something about a mess in the Hall of Warriors?"

"Oops," Po said, gulping guiltily. "I think I know what that's about! Sorry Storm, got to go. Tigress, could you finish helping Storm out please?"

"OK."

"Thanks!" he yelled as he disappeared round the corner.

"Oh Po," Tigress sighed despairingly. Blinking, she asked: "So what do you need Storm?"

"I think I've got everything actually thanks Tigress," Storm replied as she pulled a statue out of her bag.

"What's that?" Tigress asked curiously. "A statue? You carry statues around with you?"

"They're not just statues," Storm explained, bringing a similar one to stand next to the other. "They interlink, like this," she continued as she first separated and then brought back together the pieces. "I bought the cats first, and then the pandas."

Seeing Tigress' face, she said: You are not the decorative type, are you?"

"They are distractions from Kung Fu," Tigress replied a little curtly.

"You really believe that?" Storm asked. "These help me concentrate. Whenever I see them they remind me of how secure love and friendship can be - and that we are not whole without it."

"Those have nothing to do with kung fu," Tigress asserted.

"Are you really so sure?"

Tigress knew that Storm was referring to her fellow warriors at the Jade Palace. She was wary as to why - she still did not trust her.

"I must return to my training," she said as she left, swishing her tail.

Storm soon unpacked all her things and settled into life at the Jade Palace. She learned the others' routine and followed it respectfully. As she was not a master of the body, though, her training was a little different to the warriors'. Most of the time she could be found in her room or somewhere peaceful such as the the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom or the Pool of Sacred Tears. Po and the five were curious as to how she trained. One day, Po's curiosity got the better of him, and he went to question Storm. He found her by the Peach Tree, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed.

"Oh, you are meditating, sorry," Po whispered, beginning to back away quietly.

"I am not meditating, Po," Storm murmured. "I am reflecting."

"Reflecting? What do you mean?"

"The goal of meditation is to find your centre. Reflection means you are focusing on the things and people around you. Their bonds of friendship, their backgrounds, their strengths and their weaknesses. All of these could be useful if and when you need to help them."

Po pondered over these words. As he thought, Storm suggested: "Why don't you try it? You are a very open person, you may have a gift for it."

"Maybe I will," Po replied. "Thank you, Master Storm." She blinked her eyes in gratitude, then returned to her reflection.

Strangely, Po did not say anything to the others about Storm's reflection technique. It was certainly unusual, and he felt that it must almost be kept a secret. Still, he did not question it. Ever humble, he respected that everyone had their own technique, and his was not exactly normal. Po smiled to himself, remembering how Tai Lung had flown into the air after rocketing off his belly like it was a trampoline.

Tai Lung... he had already seen that Tigress was having difficulty trusting Storm. He put this down to her being a snow leopard like Tai Lung, although he didn't accept that Tigress would base her distrust on something illogical. Yet he could think of no other reason - Tigress normally accepted Masters without question. So what was it?

Tigress didn't know either. She had gone through every logical reason as to why she should distrust the leopard and had drawn a blank. Then what could it - wait. Could it be... something beyond logic? This idea was almost alien to Tigress. Sighing, she got up from the bed in her room and made her way to the Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom to try and figure it out.

As she approached, she heard voices. As she reached the top of the hill, Tigress saw Master Shifu and Storm deep in discussion. Shifu saw her and greeted: "Ah, Tigress, perfect. We were just on our way to tell you."

"Tell me what?" Tigress asked a little suspiciously.

"Master Storm has asked permission to observe some of you training over the next couple of days," Shifu explained. "It is part of her form of training."

"I hope it will not be awkward for you," Storm said. "I will pay particular attention to your different fighting styles."

"How does this help master the mind?" Tigress asked.

"Much of what people think in their mind is put into their fighting style. It becomes a part of who you are."

Tigress certainly agreed with that. Kung Fu had been a part of her for almost as long as she could remember. She nodded, lost in thought, and left, the quiet of the Peach Tree forgotten.

Once she had gone, Shifu inquired: "May I ask if there is anyone in particular that you are keen to observe?"

"Yes," Storm affirmed. "Po and Tigress."

Shifu nodded in agreement. "They are certainly different!"

"Yes," Storm smiled to herself as he left for the training hall. "But in many ways the same."


	3. Don't Judge a Book By Its Cover

**A.N. Sorry it's a bit short, things have been a bit hectic this week!**

The next day began as normal. The warriors greeted Shifu with the usual "Good morning Master." During a breakfast of the Dragon Warrior's finest noodle soup Shifu informed Po and the rest of the five about Storm observing their styles of fighting, which they accepted without question.

Then they went to train. Storm observed all of them as she said she would; the lightning fast movements of Mantis, the preciseness of Viper, the confident flight of Crane and the agility of Monkey. That left Po and Tigress. Po's style was easy, it was a direct reflection of his personality - energetic, a little mischievous, and fun. But Tigress' style...

Now for the tricky one, Storm thought determinedly to herself. The most hardcore warrior of them all. Or was she? Storm had seen something, and she wanted to know whether there was something behind the hard style.

She watched Tigress spar with all the five and was impressed by her strong defence and powerful attack. Her time going through the training hall was incredible. Storm had expected this, she knew she was the strongest of the five. But when Tigress began to spar with Po Storm took an even keener interest. She could really find something important from this.

Tigress took her classic fighting stance, fixing Po with an intense gaze. "Ready," she challenged.

"Ya!" Po leapt from his stance and aimed a powerful side kick towards Tigress. She deflected it and as he stood upright launched a counter-attack, a palm strike followed by a leg sweep. Po quickly recovered and would have attacked again if Tigress had not beaten him to it, putting him on the defence.

Storm stopped watching their moves and focused on their expressions. Po's was one of determination and joy, as well as open admiration for Tigress. Tigress' was one of friendly aggression, there was something there which was teasing him, taunting him almost.

It was when the female tiger asked playfully: "Is that the best you can do Po?" that Storm was sure. As the two finished their sparring she turned to Master Shifu who was next to her and said: "Thank you for letting me observe your students today. I have seen a lot that can help me."

"I am glad that it has aided you in your training," Shifu returned. "Have you finished for today?"

"Yes, if that is fine with you," Storm answered respectfully.

"Very well, you must return to your training."

"Thank you." Storm headed to her room, where she sat comfortably on her bed. Now to take action, she thought to herself. First, though, she had to finalise the details in her head. She had several hints prepared which she could drop at appropriate times. It was more than likely that she would have to enlist some of the other's help. If she did tell someone then it would be Viper - she was the mostly likely to understand.

She reflected on how this would be a kind of training for Tigress. The tiger had always struggled with emotions because of her past and upbringing. Storm planned to help her, although she wasn't sure Tigress wanted helping. Either way, the leopard thought determinedly, let the training begin.


	4. Home Is Where the Heart Is

**A.N. Thank you to everyone who reads this story! Sorry for any mistakes. How can I improve?**

Viper slithered up the last of the thousand steps. She had just returned from shopping and was very happy with what she had bought - some pretty eyeshadows and three shimmering bracelets of soft hues she planned to wear as necklaces at the next festival. As she went past the Hall of Heroes she noticed one of the doors was open. She peeped in to find Storm sweeping the hall - the leopard took a full part in the warrior's routine, which included chores. As she swept she hummed a tune to herself.

"Hi Storm," Viper greeted.

"Hey Viper," Storm returned. Seeing Viper's shopping, she complimented: "They look really pretty."

"Thanks," Viper said. "Third left off the main street, you can't beat the market stall there."

Storm smiled. "I'll remember that."

"What was that song you were humming?" the snake asked curiously.

"It's a song from my home," the feline answered. "It's from a festival that's coming up soon, unique to my village. It was a festival of community, it brought everyone in the village together, and it was everybody's favourite time of the year."

"What's it like?" Viper, now interested, encouraged her on with the story.

"It's amazing. There are tables set down the main street and covered with tablecloths decorated with orange flowers **(A.N. Orange flowers represent togetherness in China)** and filled with all kinds of different food. It's a sort of buffet, which means that everyone eats together. Afterwards there's a dance in the square where everyone joins in, and eventually the music slows so couples can dance. This part is important to a lot of people because if the couples marry then they will either start a new life elsewhere or begin another generation where they are."

"It sounds like you really love this festival," Viper said softly.

"I do," Storm replied strongly. "It was the first thing I used to mark on my calendar when I got it for the new year."

"When is it?"

"In a week and four days," was the unhesitating reply. Storm blushed a little. "See, I still know the date immediately even though I haven't been home for a long time," she laughed.

"Why not?" Viper asked.

Storm paused. "For... reasons."

The atmosphere became a little tense. After shifting uneasily for a moment or two, Viper decided to break the silence.

"I know!" she said enthusiastically. "We'll have the festival here!"

"What do you mean?" Storm asked although she had planned this to happen.

"Master Oogway used to say that home is wherever you are," Viper explained. "But sometimes it's nice to remember a part of where you grew up."

"But won't it be a lot of trouble for you all?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides," Viper added cheekily. "It'll give me a chance to wear my new bracelets!"

And with that she left to find Master Shifu and ask his permission.

Master Shifu allowed Viper to organise the festival. He had grown to like the silver cat over the past few weeks and although he didn't know her backstory, he was willing to try and help alleviate her apparent homesickness.

Things were soon busy since the festival was just over a week away. There was a lot to plan - the decorations, the food, the costumes and entertainment, and of course Storm was needed for all of them. She had to describe the traditions to them and watch them being made to make sure it was right. Just in the first three days she had designed the outfits for the kung fu masters, described the traditional colours (warm orange, light green and white) to the villagers and begun on the music. Viper had bought the ingredients needed for the food and the materials for the decorations.

On the fourth day they both roped in the rest of the five and Po to help with the decorations. Storm showed them how to make a special lantern. First she cut long strips of orange and green tissue paper. Then she began to weave.

"You need to weave them under and over, like this," she instructed, the warriors crowding round. "And don't forget to leave a gap at the top so the lantern doesn't catch fire!"

Once she had finished Storm attached some wire to the top and inside it and hung a candle from the lower wire. She hung the lantern and carefully lit it. The warm flame flickered and orange and green flickered the pattern of the lantern onto the walls.

"How many of these will we need?" Crane asked.

"Not many," the leopard answered. "Just enough to light the square for the dancing. Now," she instructed. "If you could please sit down then I'll give you the right amount of paper."

Everyone sat down and began to make the lanterns. Most got off to a good start, but Po was having problems.

"This is impossible!" he moaned getting his paws wrapped in orange and green for about the fifth time. He tried to shake it off but the paper clung stubbornly to his claws. His movements became more and more impatient until he accidentally hit Storm in the face who was thrown off her chair.

"Oops, sorry Storm!" the panda apologised helping her to her feet.

"Clumsy!" she mock scolded him.

"I said I was sorry!" Po said, a little hurt.

"Ah it's ok Po, I love you really," Storm reassured. Everyone gave her a strange look.

"What?" she responded quizzically. "This is loveable, irrepressible Po we're talking about. Everyone loves Po," she finished, looking directly at Tigress.

The South Chinese tiger found herself for once unable to hold a gaze. She turned away awkwardly, wondering why Storm had stared at her in particular on those last words.

"Thanks Storm," Po grinned. "Now how do you make these again?"

As Storm went through the method once more, the leopard smiled to herself. Hint number one, she thought.

Po finally got the hang of the lanterns, and they continued with the preparations.

The festival was almost complete. There was just one more day to go.

"Well done everybody!" Viper sighed contentedly. "This place looks fantastic!"

"Yes, thank you everyone," Storm added sincerely. "It's like I'm back home."

A chorus of 'no problem's and 'it was fun's came from the warriors and villagers.

"Make sure everything is ready for tomorrow evening," Master Shifu advised. "Obviously things like the food and the music won't be able to be set up until mid-afternoon. Thank you for all your help - and we will see you at the festival!"

With that the warriors turned and began their journey back up to the Jade Palace with the exception of Po, who had promised to give his dad a hand at the noodle and tofu shop for a couple of hours.

"So what are our outfits like Storm?" Viper asked. "You've been so secretive about them and the villagers have kept quiet too. How did you manage it?"

"Master of the mind, remember?" Storm tapped her nose conspiratorially. "And I want your outfits to be a surprise. Are you going to wear your new eyeshadow?"

"Yes, I'm going green to match the festival. I'm guessing our outfits will match the festival colours?"

"Maybe they will." After pausing for a moment, Storm asked: "What about you Tigress? Will you be wearing any makeup?"

"No."

"Why?"

Taken aback, Tigress replied haltingly: "I don't see the point of it. And I've never really been into that sort of thing."

"It gives you confidence in yourself, and can help you show someone special you like them sometimes."

"I don't have anyone special," Tigress cut in sharply.

"I never said you did." But I never said you didn't, either, she thought. Hint number two.

After climbing a few more steps, Storm tried again. "Won't you wear it just this once?" she pleaded, widening her eyes.

Tigress looked at her and then away again. "I don't know how to apply make up."

"We'll help you!" the two girls cried simultaneously.

Sighing, Tigress said: "Fine. But just this once!" What is happening to me, the feline wondered. It must be being with Po all the time. I'm going soft!

"Thanks Tigress," Storm smiled whilst the guys looked on with shocked faces. "This festival will be... now how would Po put it... awesome!"

Laughing, they started the last three hundred of the thousand steps as the sun sank in the sky.


End file.
